Beat The Experts: Hollywood Casino 400 At Kansas
By Cole Mentzel
There are many big names in trouble just one week into the second round of the Chase. From Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Matt Kenseth, the drivers in positions 9-12 will be looking for a solid showing at Kansas this weekend. Kansas will be huge for drivers below the cut line or on the bubble because one bad race could mean that they will need a win at Talladega to move on, and that’s never a good thing. Joey Logano was able to punch his ticket to the next round with a big win last weekend at Charlotte.
Last week in the BTF Chase game, staff writers Michael Finley and Joseph Shelton led with 39 points each followed by BTF editor Christopher Olmstead (37 points), staff writer Cole Mentzel (29 points) and staff writer Mike Hutton (25 points). Christopher Olmstead continues to lead in the overall points standings.
As for the BTF fans, Linda Lopez Gearst Gerhardt correctly picked Joey Logano to win and had the most points last weekend (48 points). She was followed by Tammy Hemminger (39 points), Chris Losurdo (35 points), Mary Jo Korp (25 points) and Rita Stout (3 points). Chris Losurdo continues to lead the rest of the pack in the overall standings.
Here are the BTF staff picks for Kansas:
Mike Hutton – Jeff Gordon – He has always run well at Kansas. His 3 wins and completion of 99.2% of all laps possible is incredible. He also just seems poised, confident and focused. Gordon won the spring race at Kansas in 2014.
Michael Finley – Matt Kenseth – After looking over stats for both Kansas and the Chase races so far this season, I’m going to go with Kenseth. He is entering this race in a must win situation with the uncertainty that is Talladega looming next week. This is basically he last chance to control his destiny.
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Joseph Shelton – Joey Logano – He won at Kansas in the Chase last season and I see him carrying his momentum into Victory Lane on Sunday.
Cole Mentzel – Matt Kenseth – Though he had a rough time last weekend at Charlotte, this race just screams “Matt Kenseth.” It’s his type of track and his type of race. He has been coming through during the moments when he has needed to this season and I believe he will continue to show that with his back against the wall this weekend.
This race is another important race because it is the 3rd 1.5 mile race out of the 5 in the Chase. If you can conquer those tracks, you will almost certainly make it to end the because there is one in every round. Denny Hamlin opened up with a win at Chicago and he is in a good position to move on. Joey Logano won at Charlotte last weekend and he is moving on and if you can get a win this weekend, you will be on to the next round. Anytime you go to a 1.5 mile track in the Chase, it is important to take care of business.
This race is set up to be entertaining and there will be lots of drivers wanting to secure positions with Talladega coming up. Who do you think will win at Kansas? Let us know in the comments below!